When I get my hands on the new iPhone 7, I am totally getting this case!

I love reading books before they come out in the movie theater...I'm in the middle of this one right now and it's very moving. I missed it in the theater...but I did just finish The Girl on a Train and I can't wait to see it!

It's fall! Which means that everything pumpkin is in full-effect! And our household is no exception. This past Sunday, Ethan asked to bake something in the kitchen and these cupcakes were calling my name. They're less sweet than a cupcake and more substantial too...they're the perfect breakfast pastry or afternoon snack.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/4 cup oil (canola, vegetable or coconut)

1/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 and 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 and 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Lightly grease jumbo muffin pan. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pumpkin spice).

Stir in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix only until combined. Do not overmix.

Divide the batter among muffins cups.

Bake muffins for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven, lower the temperature to 375 degrees F and bake muffins for 12 to 15 minutes longer OR until the toothpick inserted in the center of each muffin comes out clean. (I slightly over-baked them at 15 minutes...next time, I'll bake them for less time).

Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan onto a cooling rack or wooden board.

Fall is here and I am loving the chance to get a bit more dressed up with OTK boots and leather jackets! These are some of the things on my fall wish list! Also, have you seen that J.Crew is at Nordstrom now? So dangerous!

Child proofing the home has come a LONG way since we were all babies. Long ago are the days of zip-tied cabinet doors, foam furniture corners, and unsightly bathtub precautions. In fact, child proofing can be fun and dare I say...stylish too!

On Sunday night, we escaped to Carmel Valley for Michaela's gorgeous vineyard wedding. We had originally planned to go for the weekend...but scheduling snafus and a stomach bug limited us to a quick trip. It was one really fabulous night though!

We had the luxury of staying at Carmel Valley Ranch, which was a last minute decision, thanks to Hotel Tonight {you must download the app if you haven't already and use CODE: NSCHUE to save $25 on your first booking!}. We got a killer deal! The property and rooms were just breathtaking...we pinched ourselves when we checked in.

The view from our suite!

All of the rooms are suites with vaulted ceilings, two fireplaces, a large walk-in bathroom, and tons of amenities. It's very family friendly too--we would love to come back with the kids!

Probably my favorite touch was coming back from the wedding to having our curtains drawn, our lights turned low and this little note on our bed!

And if you know anything about Michaela, then you know she hit the nail on the head when it came to all the gorgeous details! I'll leave the professional photographer to the rest...but believe me when I say, it was magical!

So...remember how over a year ago we talked about updating our master bedroom and picking out a new headboard and mattress? Yeah, well that never happened...until NOW! We actually pulled the trigger on this gorgeous bed over Labor Day Weekend and finally settled on a Leesa mattress. By the way, if you choose to buy a Leesa, you can get $75 off your purchase by going through my link...more to come on what we think of it! And just as a disclaimer, this is not an ad for Leesa...just sharing that we bought one, with our own money! ;)

You can tell that our taste has evolved over the last year. I never thought I would love a {gasp!} patterned headboard but I LOVE this textile and really feel it's a neutral that allows us to add some color and interest into the room.

Something that's not pictured in the collage is a bench for the end of our bed. I really love Dana's bench...isn't it dreamy? Some other options can be found here, here and here. I'll be on the hunt for the perfect one...I'm looking for a lighter brown in leather if you know of any good options!

I'll share pictures once our bed comes in...can't wait!

xo natasha

PS...check out my guest post on what I would change about my wedding over on Michaela's blog today!

Life with two boys is never dull...whether they're giggling themselves silly or screaming their heads off because one stole a toy or bonked the other's head, it's a zoo around here! That being said, we wouldn't have it any other way and I thought it was high-time for an update!

Ethan :: 4 years

Ethan is 4 years old and just growing like a week! He goes to preschool three days a week, rides his bike without training wheels, says his favorite colors are "pink and purple and blue," his favorite food is pancakes {according to him}, and he loves watching Disney movies. Lately though his favorite movie is Spongebob Square Pants. He still loves his trucks and is always asking for a new one for Christmas. He especially loves driving his Power Truck around the backyard and is really good about not hitting his brother, who is in the way 99.9% of the time. Ethan is our shy, sensitive guy...though once he comes out of his shell he warms right up. He's a great big brother...and loves tucking Wyatt in at the end of the night. His favorite activities this summer have been going to the beach, riding his bike and playing with friends.

Wyatt :: 20 months

Wyatt turns 20 months today and he is a ball full of energy! He talks up a storm...it's constant! He says so many words, and what he can't say, he will communicate one way or another. He loves saying no {can't say yes yet}, outside, and dog...meaning he wants to feed the dog a treat. He still loves saying "hi" and will say it so exuberantly...even when he wakes up in the middle of the night and we go in to try to get him back down. It's HI HI HI pretty much all the time. Wyatt seems to be a much better eater than Ethan, takes one nap a day, climbs all over everything, and tries to keep up with big brother on the regular. He adores Ethan but won't put up with any crap. He is definitely more outgoing than Ethan...we'll see how that evolves in time.

We're worried about containing these two once the winter hits...they both love being outside, always. We'll have to work double-time to keep them busy. In the meantime, we're enjoying the end of the summer and looking forward to fall festivities.

Ready to see the most gorgeous boots ever? I am completely obsessed with these Stuart Weitzman OTK Lowland boots! Everything from the buttery suede, to the back tie closure to the slim silhouette...they are GORGEOUS! And expensive {insert sad face here}. They are definitely on my wish list and I will be saving my pennies to get them one day! I love how versatile they are too, from wearing them with leggings, jeans, dresses or skirts.